In Episode 4 of Wednesday Comics Ivan and Matt search for answers to Doomsday Clock, and Chuck breaks out the biggest Transformer ever!
Watch episode 4 below:
About the show:
Monkeys Fighting Robots has teamed up with Uncanny Heroes in Tampa for a new show – Wednesday Comics. The characters of Wednesday Comics; Ivan Plaza the owner of Uncanny Heroes, Chuck Fenech of Big Red Head Vintage Toys, and Matthew Sardo the founder of Monkeys Fighting Robots.
What are you reading this week? Sound off in the coment section below.
Jon Favreau’s The Lion King took the world by storm yesterday after releasing its full cast list. The remake of the 1994 animated classic will star the likes of Donald Glover, Beyonce and James Earl Jones. We now have a look at the synopsis of the film via Collider.
“From Disney Live Action, director Jon Favreau’s all-new “The Lion King” journeys to the African savanna where a future king is born. Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub’s arrival. Scar, Mufasa’s brother—and former heir to the throne—has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy, and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba’s exile. With help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his. The all-star cast includes Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, James Earl Jones as Mufasa, Billy Eichner as Timon and Seth Rogen as Pumbaa. Utilizing pioneering filmmaking techniques to bring treasured characters to life in a whole new way, “The Lion King” roars into theaters on July 19, 2019.”
It appears this interpretation of The Lion King will follow the story of the original very closely. Although, much like Favreau’s The Jungle Book remake, it will likely deviate slightly from its source material in an attempt to keep things fresh and engage with modern audiences.
Favreau’s film will also follow The Jungle Book in terms of the style of the film, using a blend of CGI and a live-action backdrop. It’s unlikely we will be seeing any human characters with the project only following the story of the original characters.
The Lion King hits theaters July 19, 2019
Does this synopsis get you excited for Jon Favreau’s interpretation of Disney’s animated classic? Let us know in the comments below!
Meet George Jetson, a family man living an analog life in a digital world. His wife, Jane, is a brilliant NASA scientist working off-world at a conference, his daughter Judy is a social butterfly trying to discover her calling, and his boy Elroy is either doing homework or using robotic technology to break the rules. Strangest of all, George’s mother has downloaded herself into Rosie the robot!
Writing/Story
This book feels odd. After the immensely popular Flintstones comics last year, the hype for a series based on The Jetsons was almost immediate. The original cartoon featured people dealing with their personal struggles despite having highly advanced technology which had become part of their everyday life. Given the show originated in the 1960s and reflected the mindset of what people believed the future to be, a more modern take where technology is so crucial to everyday life should leave people with much to think about. Unfortunately this book makes it a point to tell you how to feel about it.
The first issue contains a lot of exposition. Jane addressing a consul of scientists serves as backstory to why the world doesn’t have advanced weapons technology. A conversation between George and his mother about how she is now Rosie the robot (the issue is counting on you already reading the preview comic for this series where this event took place). These should both be meaningful conversations about reaching for a brighter tomorrow and about the nature of human existentialism. Unfortunately, writer Jimmy Palmiott writes with the flaw of tell and not showing. Everything is explained in detail to the point of losing emotional impact. Compared to the recent series Ruff and Reddy which featured an emotional gut punch, The Jetsons doesn’t deliver nearly as much gravitas.
Artwork
The artwork for this series helps to make this book worth purchasing. The pencils and inks by Pier Brito offers some interesting landscape especially when showcasing the ruins of the previous civilization.
The color work by Alex Sinclair does make the series feel like a futuristic landscape. It also helps with the effects by accentuating the holograms which are used in the issue.
The lettering by Dave Shape makes a point to distinguish when Rosie is talking by adding an eye catching robotic font. It helps to get a mental image of what she sounds like.
Conclusion
Good, not great. It’s building into something and fingers are crossed this book will become something better but for now it feels forced, bland, and not out of this world.
As we enter November, we are just over a month away from the release of Disney and Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi and the studio just dropped a new teaser for the film.
Titled “Awake”, the latest teaser delivers some exciting new footage, including Luke Skywalker’s return to the Millennium Falcon and an incredible shot of Rey (Daisy Ridley) wielding a lightsaber.
Watch the teaser below:
Directed by Rian Johnson, Star Wars: The Last Jedi stars Daisy Ridley, Mark Hamill, John Boyega, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Gwendoline Christie, Andy Serkis, and Domhnall Gleeson. The film will land in theatres on December 15!
The plots thickened tonight in the fourth episode of Shannara Chronicle’ssecond season. The new season on Spike is proving to be a force with a storyline that is more controlled, balanced, and with less reliance on razzle-dazzle and more on building tension between characters and plots. Yet, for the effects-loving viewers out there, the episode doesn’t disappoint on that front either. As we near the midpoint, the grey area widens, leaving heroes to wonder who is to trust. Here’s our review of episode four, “Dweller.”
The Shannara Chronicles
Wednesdays on Spike at 10 P.M. ET Wil, Mareth & Allanon travel to a dangerous territory for an answer. King Ander meets the Princess of Leah, but finds she’s more than he bargained for.”
Brandon appears to the Queen Tamlin to remind her of a deal from the past. and that the Warlock Lord is rising and debts to him will be paid. The tension is just right. Bandon’s evil badassery is growing, and he proves it within the first few seconds of his appearance.
After the ominous moment with Bandon, we catch up with Wil and Eretria. Wil is recovering from the events of the previous episode and Eretria is leaving on a new mission with weapon master Jax to warn King Ander about the Crimson. The friends share a moment that seems to give off some heavy foreshadowing feels. “I’ll see ya when I see ya.” Will leave you wondering if these two will ever see each other again. And Shannara isn’t shy about killing off characters. So, who knows?
The first moments of the show also delve deeper into Allanon the Druid and his potential daughter, Ravenlock. Without DNA tests handy, I’m sure some magic will make it possible for us to know the truth. But for now, these two have to come to terms about their connection, whether it’s familial, magical, or both.
Bandon delivers more ominous messages to Flick, Wil’s uncle before he provides another glimpse into his twisted logic.
We return to Eretria and Jax. We learn more about the weapon master’s past, enriching his character. Jax is a great addition to this RPG party that’s trying to save the world. Then again, who doesn’t love an anti-hero?
Eretria and Lyria are on separate paths, but a talk between the two inspires Lyria to do more. At the same time, Ander is learning about betrayal and continuing an uneasy alliance with the Queen of Leah. However, like Wil, Ander is growing into who he must be. He’s learning “adulting” so-to-speak and with that comes pain-filled decisions. However, it also comes with a lesson about sacrifice for the great good.
Wil wants to get to Bandon to save his uncle, but Allanon has another mission in mind. The mission is one that Wil cannot refuse as it connects to his past. The quest might also be important to save the future of the Four Lands. However, missions only matter if they are successful and there’s much dangerous dungeon-delving in the way of completing the task at hand.
An emotional end leads to a hopeful final shot. Episode five of The Shannara Chronicles can’t come soon enough.
After successfully delivering a “live-action” remake of The Jungle Book, Jon Favreau is currently working on another CGI/live-action remake, The Lion King. While certain members of the cast have already been announced (Donald Glover, Seth Rogan), Disney just revealed the full cast for Favreau’s The Lion King, and I think fans will be more than pleased.
Last week’s installment of the Dark Nights Metal saga fell flat. While looking beautiful, Batman the Merciless’ story was its major downfall. It told the story of this God of War Batman without showing the true devastation of his home earth. This left a poor taste in my mouth and had me worried for the following issues. This week, we get the penultimate Dark Nights: Batman the Devastator. He is a hybrid between the defender of Gotham and the monster that killed the Man of Steel. Now while that sounds insane, the story of how he was created is actually quite straightforward.
**SPOILERS BELOW**
Story:
The origin of this Batman is located on Earth -1. On this Earth, Superman spread his message of hope and trust with everyone believing him, including Batman. One day, Clark snapped and proceeded to tear apart the world. Batman, who felt betrayed by his friend, made the ultimate sacrifice to take him down once and for all. He engineered the Doomsday Virus on his Earth, transformed himself into the monster and killed Superman in a final battle, sacrificing his humanity. Unfortunately, by the time he used that, the world was essentially dead. This left an opening for The Batman who Laughs to recruit the newly dubbed Devastator for his cause.
Unlike last week’s Dark Nights one-shot, this shows the devastation wrought on the original Earth. You see the brutality of the turned Superman and Batman’s regret in having to go as far as he did, but realizes its necessity. By the time he reaches Earth 0, where all the main DC series take place, The Devastator’s view has changed. He now sees Superman as a lie for peace; that Earthlings must look within to find their true strength.
While I have never been a big fan of the Doomsday Virus plot device, you are reminded how destructive it actually is in the issue. Not even an hour in the city and the virus completely ravages everyone. It continues to create the hopeless setting that the Dark Knights were trying to eliminate when first coming to this world.
Art:
If you are a fan of the first volume of Justice League Rebirth, then you are going to love the art of this issue. Tony S. Daniel’s skill is shown off here with the incredible details in every panel. A perfect example of the level of detail Daniel’s skill would be the battle between The Devastator and Earth -1’s Superman. When Bruce transforms, you can see every bump and crater in his skin when he transforms, the details in his kryptonite breath, and the appropriate amount of gore.
The color work of Tomeu Morey complimented Daniel’s art by making the virus look sickening. Add that to making the characters’ skin tones realistic and we have a fantastic book to look at, as well as read.
Conclusion:
This issue was a much-needed improvement from The Merciless. The story is investing in the present and the flashback, showing the tragedy and pain The Devastator endured. The art is fantastic, with exemplary pencil work from Daniel and complimentary color from Morey. With the final tie-in being two weeks away, this story should tide you over.
Last issue we began a new story arc for the Kent family that would take them to Apokolips. Lex Luthor had the brilliant idea of convincing the Apokoliptians that he was the replacement for their recently fallen leader Darkseid. As one would suspect, this plan backfired. Lex then ordered his Lexbots to kidnap the whole family to come save him. The danger to the Kent family could have been avoided if Superman decided to actually listen to Lex’s calls of distress, but he chooses to ignore them, leading us to this issue.
Character inconsistencies and very unnatural expressions dragged down the beginning of this arc. Now that the family has made it to Apokolips, we might finally see some action to save Lex from his captors.
**SPOILERS BELOW**
Story:
With the Kent family separated on Apokolips, each member will seem to get more of the spotlight as the storyline goes on. The first member is Lois Lane who finds herself captured by Granny Goodness and the Female Furies. She ends up proving her worth and stands alongside the Furies over the span of a few hours. Meanwhile, Lex admits to his captors that he truly isn’t the heir to Darkseid’s throne. He convinces the group that the heir is actually Superman, but this doesn’t stop them from turning on their false god.
It might just be me, but I still can’t get into this story due to the actions of the characters. Lex is the most intelligent being from Earth, and yet he thinks that admitting his lie to a crowd of ravenous followers is the best idea. The Furies just accept Lois after a single battle where they drag dozens of slaves who are actually born of Apokolips. The characters break their archetypes to allow the plot to progress.
This issue doesn’t have much in terms of story depth, but it makes up for it in epic action. The battle that Lois gets dragged into shows that she isn’t a damsel in distress anymore. Seeing her surviving alongside the mightiest warriors of Apokolips is actually pretty damn cool. It’s action sequences like this that makes me think that this trip might leave more of an impression than expected. I hope it will leave an impression by the end, but as of right now, it still feels lacking.
Art:
I am glad to see that the art has improved since the last issue. Ed Benes and Jack Herbert join Doug Mahnke in drawing out the horrors of Apokolips. The designs of the characters look as good as the last issue, with the awkward faces being fixed for more natural ones. The closest unnatural faces made are those of certain Apokoliptians, which makes sense considering they come from a monster-filled world.
The color work continues to help characters pop off the page but in a different way. Where the colors of the previous issue are more vibrant, the colors here are more subdued. It makes the characters look more realistic and could step off the page any moment.
Conclusion:
While a step up from last week, the storyline continues to struggle to find footing. The characters don’t act like themselves and it breaks the immersion, despite the epic action. The art does shine, removing the unnatural expressions that plagued the first part. We still have two parts to go, but this story shows very little signs of improvement.
After months of waiting, we are finally in November and Justice League is just days away from release. Mexican magazine Cine Premiere just debuted a new behind-the-scenes image, which gives us an incredible behind-the-scenes look at Ben Affleck as Batman.
The image shows Affleck’s Batman standing in an abandoned building, which looks similar to certain settings that we’ve seen in the trailers. If Batman v Superman taught us anything, it’s that you shouldn’t underestimate Batman in an abandoned warehouse. Hopefully, this sequence will give us another incredible action sequence for Affleck’s Batman, solidifying his role as the most badass dark knight yet!
Check out the image below:
Image via Warner Bros.
Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists newfound ally Diana Prince to face an even greater threat. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to recruit a team to stand against this newly awakened enemy. Despite the formation of an unprecedented league of heroes — Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and the Flash — it may be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.
Thomas Jane, one of the stars of Shane Black’s upcoming sequel The Predator, recently spoke to the Shadow Nation podcast about the upcoming flick. And the dude laid out quite a bit of details regarding the story’s direction.
There are some spoilers here, sort of, but nothing massive I think. It’s up to you, just keep it in mind (AvPGalaxy transcribed the interview). Here’s what Jane had to say:
“We play these veterans from like Afghanistan, Iraq war or whatever. But we’re all fucking crazy so we go to the VA hospital to get our meds. We’re all like shellshocked, PTSD…soldiers. We’re at the VA hospital and we’re in group therapy and of course, somebody flips out…this is backstory, I don’t think we really see this…somebody flips out and we all get arrested and get thrown onto the bus to go down to the hospital and they throw this other guy on the bus too.
And he’s a guy they’ve actually marked to kill him because he’s seen a UFO, he’s seen the Predator ships come down so they lock him up and throw him in with us lunatics. They’re going to take that bus, drive it down to a ditch and shoot us all just to get rid of this one guy. But, of course, we take the bus over and we’re all like “fuck that man, let’s go kill these fucking Predators ourselves” and we’re just crazy enough to believe that this guy really did see a UFO and there’s these aliens out there. So that’s kinda cool!”
Yes, Mr. Jane, that is indeed kinda cool.
The Predator also stars Olivia Munn, Jacob Tremblay, Edward James Olmos, Yvonne Strahovski, Sterling K. Brown, Keegan-Michael Key, Jake Busey (…), and it’s set for an August 3, 2018 release date. That’s about nine months too far away for this reporter.
